Dream title run a fairytale send-off for Crawford

• 2012 Olympian Peter Crawford has taken a position on the coaching staff of the Beijing Royal Fighters in the CBA
• Crawford just led the Southern Districts Spartans to the NBL1 North men's championship
• He played 16 years in the NBL with the Townsville Crocodiles, Perth Wildcats and Adelaide 36ers

Making big moves was nothing out of the ordinary for Peter Crawford during his 16-year NBL career but he is about to make his biggest yet.

The 2012 London Olympian is moving more than 8000km from Brisbane to Beijing to join the coaching staff of the Beijing Royal Fighters in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

However, he makes the career-changing move with a special piece of jewellery on his hand after winning an NBL1 North championship ring following a remarkable coaching effort to lead the Southern Districts Spartans to a 2-0 grand final series win over the Brisbane Capitals.

The series sweep completed a fairytale run to the championship for the Spartans, who sat at the bottom of the ladder at 1-5 after six games before winning 11 of their last 12 to win the club's first men's state league title since 2006. It also marked the end of Crawford's three-year stint as Spartans head coach, where the team improved each year from not making the playoffs in 2023, to losing in the semi-final last season and being crowned champions this year.

"(Winning) is super exciting. I think I said that about 15 times, but there was a little bit of shock straight afterwards," Crawford, who was also in charge of Southern Districts' junior development for the past three years, told basketball.com.au.

"We had our back against the walls from like about six or seven weeks out from the end of the season. So, it was just an awesome reward for a lot of hard work... I was really happy for a bunch of the guys we got on our team. They deserved it and the coaching staff did a good job too, so it was cool for everyone.

"Winning's super duper hard. It's not easy to win, so to get one is super special, especially the men's program at Southern Districts hasn't had a whole lot of success since 2006."

While the Spartans red-hot form saw former Australian junior representative Tamuri Wigness become an MVP contender and put himself back on NBL radars as well as college returnee Blake Jones have a major impact, Crawford said the return of former NBL big man Matthew Hodgson and the resilience of his group were behind the run to the drought-breaking title.

"I think one of the things everyone forgets is Hodgey," he said.

"Matty came in during that period as well and he does things that you don't really notice. If he blocks two shots and changes two, that's eight points in an 80-point game, he's changed 10% of the game in pretty relatively quick time. Then all of a sudden when he's in the game, we don't give up offensive boards.

"I think he's a big part of it... He's an awesome player and he's got his head in the right spot and he's ready to play at a high level as well... I think the Bullets should be looking at him - that's someone valuable that you can have sitting in the wings. He lives in Brissy and that's someone special that they can add to their mix.

"He wants to keep playing and I've spoken to him about what it feels like and what happens when you finish playing. All of a sudden everyone's kind of wondering where you're playing, then all of a sudden your phone doesn't ring for ever again. It can be quite daunting and a bit of a shock and it happened quite quick for him. He was starting player on the Australian team and within like 12-month period, he didn't have a job in the NBL, which is highly unusual.

"But he probably needed a little bit of time off, it wears you down a little bit as well. But I think he's in a great spot now and hopefully he gets picked up and he keeps playing.

"I think also just as far as our team, we've just got a group that's pretty resilient and kind of just goes with the flow and keeps showing up as long as the training sessions are fun, they keep putting in. So, it's been cool."

After three years on the sidelines struggling with injury, Wigness led from the front for the Spartans, averaging 26 points as well as 6.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 42% from the three-point line to find career-best form and put himself in line for an NBL return, where he last played as a development player for the Brisbane Bullets in season 2021-22.

And Crawford, who first coached the dynamic point guard in the Queensland North under-16 state team, said it was special to Wigness shining on the court once again.

"He just has another level he can go to... He's kind of really done a good job of playing at two speeds, he's spent three years working on his jump shot. I think has proved to everyone that he can shoot and that he is a legit shooter, which was probably the scout report on him. He also went into the NBL as an 18-year-old, which is pretty rare," he said.

"(Tamuri) was on the back court at Spartans a year and a half ago, he was trying to train with us and his knee was hurt. He came in and trained one or two sessions and his knee swelled up, it was unfortunate. But he was always out there shooting late at night by himself and getting the shots up and I kind of spoke to him about shooting in that.

"I was always saying 'when you're ready to play, you've always got a spot with us'.

"His next level is to be an elite game management point guard, and if he gets in with Mitch Norton at the Bullets, gets in his back pocket this season and kind of just picks his ear, I think that'll be where he ends up, really taking it to the next level. He can shoot, he can score, he's got the pace and he can defend."

As Crawford, who was previously an NBL assistant coach with the Brisbane Bullets between 2021-23, progresses to the next stage of his coaching career in China he credited Wigness and Jones for a lot of his success as a head coach. Taking a Queensland under-20s team within seconds of a national championship beofre a game-winner from Victoria's Josh Giddey. Crawford would go on to win two consecutive national titles with Queensland after that tournament.

Wigness and Jones would then lead Crawford's Spartans to this year's NBL1 title.

Despite having so much achievements under his belt as a player as well, playing 16 years in the NBL with the Townsville Crocodiles, Perth Wildcats and Adelaide 36ers as well as making the Boomers team for the 2012 London Olympics, the 45-year-old Crawford said success was a good reminder as a coach "for you, just to be you".

"I second guess myself so much and kind of always trying to make sure I'm doing the right thing. But once you have success, it kind of just not only proves to yourself, it proves to other people that, what you're doing is working or has worked. It felt like we're building something at Spartans," he said.

"So, it's a little bit of, I don't know what the word is, it's not confidence because I kind of feel like I know what I'm doing, I feel like once I'm on the basketball court, I'm pretty comfortable there, but probably just a little bit less anxiety and less stress about whether it's the right thing and what people are thinking and all that.

"Hopefully I can ride that wave for a little bit."

Making the big move from Brisbane to Beijing, Crawford said there were some nerves but he was ready for a new challenge.

"I've had a bunch of people sort of say, 'how are you going to go with the language barrier?'. It's basketball, it should be pretty comfortable with being able to explain stuff because it's the game right," he said.

"But you're giving up a guaranteed job with a guaranteed income no matter what, to go into that pro space, where it is a cutthroat business. You have to perform, so there is a little bit of nerves.

"I kind of didn't chase NBL assistant coaching jobs for a little bit of stability and to kind of be around my mum but, you know, being at Southern Districts, it's a really big association with a lot of teams and it's a lot of work.

"I think we were building something really, really special there, so hopefully it's in good shape as I leave and I'm happy to help at any point in time.

"But now I'm going into a world where you're only in the pro circuit for nine months until you're looking for another contract. So, hopefully it goes well. I want it to go well, I want to spend a couple of years doing that and seeing where it goes and there can be good money earned as well, which is a positive."